Device-operation management apparatus, remote operation system, method of controlling device-operation management apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

A device-operation management apparatus of the present invention is an agent server for receiving a device operation instruction from a portable terminal via a user's input operation and managing an operation of a house device, and causes an operation button to be displayed on the user's portable terminal so that the user can perform a touch operation, which operation button is for transmitting, to the device, the operation instruction for operating the device in accordance with an operation proposal included in a message which indicates the operation proposal to the home device.

1 . A device-operation management apparatus for receiving an operation instruction of a device from a terminal device via an input operation by a user and managing the operation of the device provided in a house,
 the device-operation management apparatus comprising   message composing means for composing a message indicating an operation proposal to the device provided in the house,   wherein an operation setting used when a message whose content is the operation instruction for operating the device in accordance with the operation proposal indicated by the message composed by the message composing means is set in input means for receiving the input operation by the user from the terminal device.   
     
     
         2 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising
 information obtaining means for obtaining at least one of sensor information generated by a sensor provided in the house and operation information on the device provided in the house, which operation information is generated by the device,   wherein, from a result of analysis of the at least one of the sensor information and the operation information that the information obtaining means obtained, the message composing means composes the message indicating the operation proposal to the device provided in the house.   
     
     
         3 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising
 display control means for causing a check dialog to be displayed on the terminal device in a case where the operation setting is set in the input means, the check dialog allowing a user to input permission to input the operation instruction for operating the device to be instructed, which instruction is included in the operation setting.   
     
     
         4 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising
 display control means for causing a check dialog to be displayed on the terminal device in a case where the operation setting is set in the input means, the check dialog allowing a user to input permission to input the operation instruction for operating the device to be instructed, which instruction is included in the operation setting.   
     
     
         5 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 3 ,
 wherein the display control means displays, in the check dialog, an image associated with a command for use in the operation of the device.   
     
     
         6 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 4 ,
 wherein the display control means displays, in the check dialog, an image associated with a command for use in the operation of the device.   
     
     
         7 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising
 display control means for causing an input screen to be displayed on the terminal device in a case where the operation setting is set in the input means, the input screen being for editing the content of the operation instruction for operating the device to be instructed, which instruction is included in the operation setting.   
     
     
         8 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising
 display control means for causing an input screen to be displayed on the terminal device in a case where the operation setting is set in the input means, the input screen being for editing the content of the operation instruction for operating the device to be instructed, which instruction is included in the operation setting.   
     
     
         9 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the input means displays, on the terminal device, operation buttons for receiving input operations from the user in accordance with the operation setting;   the operation buttons are multiple kinds of images corresponding to respective commands for causing the device to execute operations; and   the multiple kinds of images represent respective contents of the commands explicitly and are displayed to be selected alternatively.   
     
     
         10 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the input means displays, on the terminal device, operation buttons for receiving input operations from the user in accordance with the operation setting;   the operation buttons are multiple kinds of images corresponding to respective commands for causing the device to execute operations; and   the multiple kinds of images represent respective contents of the commands explicitly and are displayed to be selected alternatively.   
     
     
         11 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 3 ,
 wherein the display control means displays (i) multiple kinds of images corresponding to respective commands for causing the device to execute operations and (ii) contents of the multiple kinds of images in the check dialog so that the multiple images can be selected alternatively.   
     
     
         12 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 4 ,
 wherein the display control means displays (i) multiple kinds of images corresponding to respective commands for causing the device to execute operations and (ii) contents of the multiple kinds of images in the check dialog so that the multiple images can be selected alternatively.   
     
     
         13 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising
 invalidation means for invalidating reception of the operation instruction in the input means when the number of times of receiving the operation instruction in the operation setting set in the input means exceeds a predetermined number of times.   
     
     
         14 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising
 invalidation means for invalidating reception of the operation instruction in the input means when the number of times of receiving the operation instruction in the operation setting set in the input means exceeds a predetermined number of times.   
     
     
         15 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising
 invalidation means for invalidating reception of the operation instruction in the input means when a predetermined period of time has passed since the operation setting was set in the input means.   
     
     
         16 . The device-operation management apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , further comprising
 invalidation means for invalidating reception of the operation instruction in the input means when a predetermined period of time has passed since the operation setting was set in the input means.   
     
     
         17 . A remote operation system, comprising:
 a device-operation management apparatus for receiving an operation instruction of a device from a terminal device via an input operation by a user and managing the operation of the device provided in a house, the device-operation management apparatus comprising message composing means for composing a message indicating an operation proposal to the device provided in the house, wherein an operation setting used when a message whose content is the operation instruction for operating the device in accordance with the operation proposal indicated by the message composed by the message composing means is set in input means for receiving the input operation by the user from the terminal device;   a message board device for managing an electronic message board which can be used by at least one terminal device, wherein:   in a case where a message is posted on the electronic message board via the terminal device, the message board device notifies an instruction of a device to the device-operation management apparatus, which instruction is associated with the message thus posted; and   the device-operation management apparatus transmits a command to the device to be instructed so as to cause the device to execute a function operation thus notified.   
     
     
         18 . The remote operation system as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising
 information obtaining means for obtaining at least one of sensor information generated by a sensor provided in the house and operation information on the device provided in the house, which operation information is generated by the device,   wherein, from a result of analysis of the at least one of the sensor information and the operation information that the information obtaining means obtained, the message composing means composes the message indicating the operation proposal to the device provided in the house.   
     
     
         19 . A method of controlling a device-operation management apparatus for receiving an operation instruction of a device from a terminal device via an input operation by a user and managing the operation of the device provided in a house,
 the method comprising the steps of:   (A) composing a message indicating an operation proposal to the device provided in the house; and   (B) setting, in input means for receiving the input operation by the user from the terminal device, an operation setting used when a message whose content is the operation instruction for operating the device in accordance with the operation proposal indicated by the message composed in the step (A).   
     
     
         20 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute each step included in the method as recited in  claim 19 .